Hi Lemon, this can happen for varying lengths of time after the drinking stops, it depends on how physically dependant on alcohol you are/have been. Natural sleep and a lessening of anxiety should come the further distance you put between yourself and drinking. A visit to the doctor would be wise to check if anything else is not quite right. Hope you feel - and sleep - better soon.

Thanks Fairisle :-) good to know I'm not the only one

I think I know what you are going through, very intense feelings of loss and isolation!

My doctor put me on Pristiq and I have been fine ever since.

God Bless!

Lots of previous threads on this topic, you're definitely not alone.

For a long time I thought I drank to sleep but years of abuse ruined my body clock and nervous system, took a little while to adjust. No booze, less caffeine, good 'sleep hygiene'...a natural mights sleep was one of the first real blessings of sobriety for me when it came...eventually :)

P

See a physician, something like Trazodone may help.

I definitely needed a sleep aid for all the times I quit drinking..there is also an insomnia board I am on because I am not sleeping more than 1.5-2 hours at a time even on the drug Ambien.

I was crying in Drs office yesterday telling him..I need something to knock me out and I told him "Drinking did that" and I don't want to drink again.

Ambien is not working but what it does is makes me fall asleep fast...within 20 minutes and for some reason takes away those scary dreaded overwhelming thoughts...but after that...I keep waking up....

Talk to your Dr....be honest and you will get something even if it temporary.

I don't really agree with sleeping pills...I work in pharmacy and see so many abuses of these pills among others and it can totally mess with "natural sleep".
Try herbal sleep teas, something like Melatonin, or doing something to relax your mind before bed.
Don't eat at least 2 hours before bed....have a soothing bath to relax when u can.....no stimulating activities for an hour or two before sleep (excluding sex haha)....that means no TV, computer, games on your phone etc. Instead try reading or even doing relaxation stretches before bed. Another thing I liked was learning meditation. Deep breathing will really help you relax.
I always thought I slept better with a booze induced sleep. It can definitely be hard to get back to a better sleep after being sober, but any number of these things I mentioned can definitely help!

Thanks all!!
I guess at this point I really should see someone. I'd rather go the natural way like you, Shanbanan, but I think I might need to get over the hump first.... I've never taken sleeping pills, so this is probably a stupid question, but I won't get addicted to them, will I?
Thanks for the replies :-)

My boyfriend suggested over the counter melatonin...

Re the sleeping pills, my experience is my doctor treated me for a long time for my alcoholism and will not prescribe any addictive medication for me unless there is no alternative and then under precise instructions. For this reason my doctor would nit prescribe any form of sleeping pill in early sobriety for me despite my insomnia in early sobriety and today I am thankful for that.

Far better to seek alternative natural remedies, as I did.

The overwhelming sense of dread concerns me more than the loss of sleep even though lack of sleep may be a contributing factor to those feelings. Such things can be a chicken and egg sort of thing and could take awhile to sort itself out. How are you doing on the dread front?

All my best...

Indescribable dread. Feeling like nothing can be sorted out. This is very not like me; i've always thought of myself as a problem-solver. But now I don't recognize myself anymore

Confusion is not uncommon in early sobriety. Stay focused on not drinking as that is the only hope at sorting through this stuff. I still many years later get confused, but my issues resolve themselves to a manageable degree by not pouring alcohol a flammable liquid on them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj28soFeGl8

Lemon
Even though you've never taken sleeping pills, you still could form an addiction. Many are habit forming, not all. Take your boyfriends advice and try Melatonin. It's herbal and over the counter, it's not habit forming.

Hi Lemon!
I would try the recommended methods of shanban...first.....

However, for me...I did that....and nothing worked...I remember crying in the Dr. office telling her (9 years ago)....If she didn't give me something for sleep I KNEW I was going to drink. I could not function on the amount of non-sleep I was getting at the time.

So definitely if the natural stuff can work for you than GREAT. But, for me it didn't and it was a choice I had to make (I always hated pills)..either try a pill or I was going to drink.

You have to do whatever works best for you to keep you from that drink. Like Shan said they are not all addictive....however, I don't agree so much because although they may not be physically addicting...they very much so can be psychological.

There was a time in my 8 years of sobriety I was sleeping well....but I was AFRAID to get off of a drug that was supposedly not addictive because I was AFRAID I would not go back to sleep.

So it is a BIG decision you have to make...suffer thru it and it may pass...and if you can handle it..than good. Try the natural stuff first....and last resort would be medication...but realize..yes...you may become addicted.